20/10/2026
As Buffalo City Metro approaches the 2026 Local Government Elections, residents must ask a question that goes beyond party manifestos: will the next municipal administration improve the conditions in which people actually live?
In Zwelitsha, Qonce (King William’s Town), Mdantsane, Duncan Village and other communities across the Metro, residents experience local government through water supply, sanitation, electricity, road conditions, refuse collection and the maintenance of public infrastructure. Sewage spills, deteriorating roads, recurring power interruptions and delayed repairs are not merely administrative failures. They affect public health, household expenses, local businesses and people's dignity.
The latest available reporting on the Auditor-General’s 2024/25 findings gives these concerns a measurable dimension. Buffalo City reportedly achieved only 38% of its planned performance targets, while electricity losses amounted to R2.18 billion over four years. Repairs and maintenance were reported at less than 8% of operating expenditure. The Auditor-General also highlighted weaknesses in oversight and consequence management.
These findings raise serious questions about the Metro’s ability to convert public resources into reliable services. .
These figures should not be reduced to political am******on. They are a call for residents and municipal leaders to examine performance, identify failures and agree on measurable improvements. The real test of a municipal budget is not how much money is allocated, but whether it produces functioning infrastructure and better living conditions.
A 100-day plan residents can measure
Qonce People’s Parliament proposes that the incoming municipal administration adopt a public 100-day service-delivery recovery and performance plan, followed by quarterly reviews throughout its term.
Days 1–30: Establish the baseline. The municipal manager should coordinate a verified, ward-level register of priority service failures and delayed projects. Each entry must identify the location, responsible department, current status, approved budget where applicable and expected resolution date. The register should be publicly accessible and updated monthly.
Days 31–60: Publish funded interventions. Relevant departments should identify urgent repairs, prioritise public-health and safety risks, and publish costed action plans with responsible officials and completion dates. Residents should be able to distinguish emergency work from projects requiring longer-term planning or additional funding.
Days 61–100: Report delivery against commitments. The municipal manager should present a public report showing work completed, expenditure against approved allocations, outstanding problems and reasons for missed deadlines. Council’s oversight structures must question departments where progress is inadequate and require documented corrective measures.
The plan should then be assessed quarterly against the municipality’s approved Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP).
Progress must be measured through indicators residents can understand: the percentage of priority interventions completed on time; average complaint-response and resolution times; recurring water and sewage failures; road and infrastructure repairs completed; refuse-collection reliability; expenditure against project budgets; and the number of overdue projects with approved recovery plans.
As proposed minimum standards, complaints should receive an acknowledgement and reference number within two working days, while urgent health and safety risks should be assessed within 24 hours. These are proposed service standards, not existing municipal commitments, and should be formally adopted, resourced and monitored.
QPP’s mission: Organising citizens to shape democracy
Qonce People’s Parliament exists because democracy must mean more than choosing representatives every five years. Our mission is to create and strengthen civic spaces where residents can participate in public decision-making, influence policies and priorities, monitor institutions and hold those entrusted with public power accountable.
Our vision is a democratic Buffalo City in which every resident has a voice and can contribute to building an inclusive, just and responsive society.
This mission must translate into practical community action. QPP will seek to help residents understand municipal budgets, participate in IDP consultations, document service-delivery concerns, monitor public projects, engage municipal officials and communicate findings to affected communities. Through public dialogues and community-led monitoring, residents can compare official commitments with what is happening on the ground.
Our approach is to LISTEN, EDUCATE, ENGAGE, MONITOR, ADVOCATE, ACT and REPORT. This is how isolated complaints can become organised civic participation and how communities can move from being passive recipients of services to informed participants in local democracy.
QPP is not a substitute for Council, municipal management or statutory oversight institutions. Our independent, non-partisan role is to strengthen public participation and ensure that residents have the information, platforms and collective capacity to influence decisions.
Cooperation must produce results
Political parties and elected representatives must work across their differences where the public interest demands it. Essential services cannot become casualties of political rivalry. At the same time, cooperation must not silence criticism or protect poor performance.
The governing administration must implement its mandate. Opposition councillors must scrutinise decisions and expenditure. All councillors must remain accessible to the people they represent. Where misconduct is suspected, the appropriate institutions must investigate and act on evidence.
Residents, in turn, must be able to assess performance through published information rather than campaign speeches or partisan claims.
The election is not the end of democracy
Buffalo City needs more than another set of promises. It needs competent administration, properly maintained infrastructure, responsible spending and a public service culture that responds to residents’ needs.
Qonce People’s Parliament calls on voters to assess candidates on their competence, record and willingness to serve. We call on the incoming administration to commit to measurable service improvements and transparent reporting from its first 100 days.
Most importantly, we call on communities to remain organised after the election: attend public meetings, question budgets, monitor projects, document unresolved service failures and demand answers through the appropriate institutions.
The future of Buffalo City cannot be left to politicians alone. It depends on institutions that deliver and citizens who exercise their democratic rights continuously.
Every promise must have a deadline. Every project must have measurable results. Every community must have a voice.
Qonce People’s Parliament — For a society where everyone matters. Where citizens shape democracy.
Beyond Election Promises: A New Compact for Accountability in Buffalo City.
By Qonce People’s Parliament (QPP)
